Research
Hormonal
Iron deficiency anemia blunts the efficacy of iodine supplementation in reducing goiter size, and concurrent iron supplementation restores this efficacy.
If you are in a region with goiter and suspect iron deficiency (anemia), iodine supplements alone may not shrink your thyroid. You likely need both iron and iodine. Consult a doctor for testing and dual supplementation.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Taken together, these data demonstrate that IDA blunts the efficacy of iodine prophylaxis while Fe supplementation improves the efficacy of oral iodized oil and iodized salt in goitrous children with IDA.
Why this rating
Multiple randomized controlled trials and animal studies with consistent findings.
Source
The Impact of Iron and Selenium Deficiencies on Iodine and Thyroid Metabolism: Biochemistry and Relevance to Public Health
Michael Zimmermann et al. · Thyroid · 2002
DOI 10.1089/105072502761016494
narrative_reviewCited 343×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Selenium deficiency impairs the thyroid's ability to handle high iodine loads, potentially causing damage, and selenium supplementation must follow iodine normalization to prevent hypothyroidism.Good
- Dual fortification of salt with both iron and iodine is more effective than iodine-only fortification in reducing goiter prevalence in iron-deficient, goitrous children.Good
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